Gyroscopic instrument



sepnzs, 1942.

G. Z. VON MANTEUFFEL 4GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENT Filed Aug. 1, V1938 2Sheets-Shet 1 Aviar/ley Sept. 29, 194.2.

G. Z. VON MANTEUFFEL -GYRosGoPIc INSTRUMENT Filed Aug. 1, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet 2 yRigt /n/enor:

G Z. v. Man teu ffel A iS vertical.

Patented Sept. 29, 1942 -UN1TED STATES. PATENT ol-"Flcl:

GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENT Gert Zoege von Manteuffel, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany;vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application August 1, 193s,serial No. 222,563 In Germany August 2, 1937 7 Claims.

- may serve for this purpose, in the case of electrically drivengyroscopes the controlling air jets must first be'created, for whichpurpose the turbine eiect of the gyro rotor can be used.

Whilst in air-driven gyroscopes the controlling air jets are alreadyfully eective when the gyro rotor is set in motion and cause animmediate return of the gyro spin axis into the Vertical, electricalgyroscopes start slowly in an arbitrary position, becauseof the absenceof effective controlling forces, and settle into the vertical only afterthe controlling air ,iets have become fully eiective on full speed ofthe gyro rotor. It may be desirable, however, to provide alsoairoperated instruments with an additional erecting meansvto bring therotor spin axis into its normal position.

Therefore gyro-verticalsl used in aircraft have been equipped withlocking devices which permit adjusting of the gyro spin axis parallel tothe vertical axis of the aircraft. In the take-oli position mostairplanes have an inclination of about 15 against the horizontal so thatthe *orientation of the axis of a gyroscope locked by means of lsuch adevice is different in the same amount from the direction of the of thevertical. When a-gyroscope is started in this position, a considerabletime will elapse until the rotor axis The general object of thisinvention is to provide an additional means to vertically align the'gyro spin axis when starting the gyro rotor during an attitude of thecraft inclined with respect to its attitude in normal flight.

Further aims, objectsl and advantages `w appear from a consideration ofthedescription, as well as the accompanying drawings showing anembodiment of the invention for illustrative lunga.

v ing I.

quently results in -a corresponding pivotal move- 'ment of frame III'with the electromagnetic parts Fig. #represents the instrument from'the front and permits details of the additional erecting device to berecognized'.v

Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal section-oi.' a further embodiment oftheadditional erecting device.

In the iigures I is the casing of the gyroscopic instrument which isalso illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 5 in the inclined position ofFig. 1. In the casing I, which is closed by means of the back cover 2,the electrically driven gyro rotor 3 is in substantially neutralequilibrium on the spinthe position of the pendulum shutters B so as tokeep the spin axis vertical.

The gyroscope may be provided in a wellknown manner with indicatingmembers vand controlling transmitters which are not illus-' trated inthe figures for reasons of simplicity.

The indicating members can be observed through the cover glass 1.

For erecting the gyro -spin axis when starting the rotor anelectromagnetic coupling is used in the embodiment shown. The pivotallymounted bail or frame III provides a mounting for an iron core 9 aroundwhich ls wound a coil 8. Op-

posite the core 9 of the electromagnet is an iron piece 9 attached tothe casing of the gyro rotor. The ends of the coil 3 are attached toterminals I9 which are connected with a switch- I8 and a battery 20,respectively. On closing the switch I8 the core 9 is magnetized and theiron piece 9' attracted.

As noted in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, the frame I0 includes a lever I0'that extends perpendicularly therefrom which isprovided with an-a'djjusting knob I I situated exteriorly of the hous- Any movement of leverarm I0' conse- 3-9 mounted thereon. The knob II may be pulled outagainst the action of a spring I2 and brought into the borings Ii., I3',respectively. The position I3 corresponds to the position of normalnight indicated by the arrow I1, the illustrategi position I3'corresponding to the take-oil position of the aeroplane. The anglebetween the two borings I3 and I3' is suitably made adjustable so thatthe instrument may be adapted to aircrafts with different inclination inthe take-off position. After looseningthe screw Il (compare Fig. 4) theboring I3' may be adjusted with respect to the casing, whilst theboringI3 is xed to the same.

An electromagnet 3. 3 is used also in the somewhat different embodimentin Fig. to erect the gyro rotor, but in this case the arrangement ispendulous and provided witha damping device. This device consists of apiston I5 which is attached to the pendulous electromagnet and ismovable in a cylinder I6 xed to the instrument casing. It is advisableto make the damping relatively strong as suilicient time is available tolet the erecting device swing'into the vertical. A strong damping hasthe advantage that momentary strong reaction lforces can be taken upwhen erecting the gyroscope without a noticeable displacement of theerecting device.

others omitted without interfering with the moretv general resultsoutlined, and the invention extends to such use.

What is claimed is:

. 1. In a gyro-vertical for aircraft, an outer housing, a rotor, meansfor driving the rotor, a rotor bearing casing, means for supporting thecasing in said housing for movement about normally horizontal major andminor trunnion'axes at right angles to the rotor spin axis, means fornormally erecting the rotor bearing casing, and

means for positioning the casing during starting up periods of operationof the gyro-vertical comprising 'an auxiliary member pivoted to thehousing, electromagnetic means comprising a first means on said memberand a second means on said rotor bearing casing coacting with each otherfor aligning the said member and casing, and means situated exteriorlyof the housing for setting said pivotal auxiliary member so that throughthe cooperation therewith of said elec- 4tromagnetic means the rotorspin axis of the rotor bearing casing is substantially verticallypositioned regardless of the fore and aft inclination of the aircraftwith respect to the ground.'

2. In a gyro-vertical for aircraft, an outer housing, a rotor, means fordriving the rotor, a rotor hearing casing, means for supporting thecasing in said housing for movement about normally horizontal major and.minor trunnion axes at right angles to the rotors'pin axis, means fornormally erecting the rotor bearing casing, a bail ring mounted withinsaid housing on an athwartship positioned axis and including a leverarm' extending exteriorly of the housing from the ring, electromagneticmeans comprising a rst means on said bail ring and a second means onsaid rotor bearing casing coacting with each other for aligning the saidring and casing when desired, and means f or setting the extendedportion of the lever arm with respect to the housing so the rotorbearing casing may be 'maintained in a position in which the rotor spinam's is substantially vertical through the inuence of said,

lsomos which the setting means for the bail ring lever .arm provided onthe housing makes provision for locating the arm in either of twopositions only which correspond to the take-oi! and normal ightpositions of the aircraft.

4. In a gyro-vertical for aircraft, an outer housing, an electricallydriven rotor, a rotor bearing casing, means for supporting the casing insaid housing for movement about two normally horizontal axes at rightangles to the rotor spin axis, air jet means for normally erecting therotor bearing casing, a pendulous device mounted within said housing formovement about an athwartship axis thereof, electromagnetic means foraligning the said device and casing comprising a first means on saidpendulous device and a second means on said rotor bearing casing, and

. sition.

5. A gyro-vertical for aircraft comprising a gyroscope having a casing,a gimbal mounting for supporting the gyro casing withneutral/equilibrium and freedom. to move about fore and aft and Iathwartship horizontal axes, means for precessing the gyro casing upondeparture thereof from a'vertical position, a member pivoted about anathwartship axis in line with the aforesaid athwartship axis, vanelectromagnet aligning means comprising two parts, of which one isattached to said casing and the other of which is connected to saidmember, and means for setting said member in either of two positionscorresponding respectively to the take-off and the l normal ightpositions of the aircraft.

6. In a gyro-vertical for aircraft having an outer housing, anelectrically driven rotor, a casing for the rotor, a gimbal ring in saidhousing for supporting said rotor casing with neutral equilibrium andfreedom to move about two horizontal axes, meansv operated throughpneumatic pressure generated by the rotation of said rotor for normallymaintaining the spin axis of thel rotor in a vertical position, a leversystem for the gyro-vertical settable from the outside of the housing.,and means for aligning the lever system and rotor casing. to verticallyposition thel spin axis of the rotor at the initial period of operationof the rotor regardless of the inclined takeoff attitude of the aircraftwith respect to the ground, said aligning means comprising two' parts,one being situated in the lever system and the other in the rotorcasing.

'1. In a gyro-vertical for aircraft, an outer housing, a gyroscopehaving a casing, means for supporting the casing in said housing formovement about two normally horizontal axes, means for normallymaintaining the casing in an erected position, a pendulous bail ringpivoted in said housing about an athwartship axis so as to underlie thegyroscope casing, means for aligning said casing and ring comprising twoparts, one of GT ZOEGE VON MANTEUFFEL.

